How to integrate Canvas MCP with Claude Code

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Introduction

Manage your Canvas directly from Claude Code with zero worries about OAuth hassles, API-breaking issues, or reliability and security concerns.

You can do this in two different ways:

  1. Via Rube - Direct and easiest approach
  2. Via Composio SDK - Programmatic approach with more control

Why Rube?

Rube is a universal MCP server with access to 850+ SaaS apps. It ensures just-in-time tool loading so Claude can access the tools it needs, a remote workbench for programmatic tool calling and handling large tool responses out of the LLM context window, ensuring the LLM context window remains clean.

Connect Canvas to Claude Code with Rube

1. Get the MCP URL

Copy and paste the below command in Claude Code to add Rube MCP.

Terminal

2. Authenticate Rube

Run /mcp to view Rube

bash
/mcp
Run /mcp to view Rube in Claude Code
Click on Rube to authenticate
Authentication flow complete

3. Ensure it's connected

Run /mcp again to verify the connection. Now, do whatever you want with Claude Code and Canvas.

Rube connected successfully

Supported Tools & Triggers

Tools
Triggers
Create account notificationCreates a global notification within a canvas account, ensuring `end at` is after `start at` and any specified `notification roles` are valid.
Create appointment groupCreates a new appointment group in canvas for schedulable time slots within specified course or group contexts.
Create an assignmentCreates a new assignment within a specified course in canvas lms.
Create assignment overrideCreates an assignment override to adjust due/unlock/lock dates for an assignment in a course, targeting specific students (requires `title`), a group, or a course section; at least one target (`student ids`, `group id`, or `course section id`) is required.
Create Calendar EventCreates a calendar event with options for recurrence (finite `rrule` series only), section-specific timings, and blackout dates within a specified context.
Create communication channelCreates a new communication channel (e.
Create content shareShares a canvas content item to specified users, if the sender has necessary permissions and receiver ids are valid.
Create conversationUse to send messages in canvas by creating a new conversation or adding to an existing one; an existing conversation with the same recipients (and matching scope/filter, if specified) may be reused unless `force new` is true.
Create a courseCreates a new course in canvas within a specified account, with comprehensive configuration options.
Create discussion entryTool to create a new entry in a canvas discussion topic.
Create discussion topicCreates a new discussion topic in a specified canvas course, allowing comprehensive configuration of its content, type, publication settings, engagement features, and associations.
Create enrollmentEnrolls a user in a canvas course with a specified role and status; `associated user id` is required if `enrollment type` is 'observerenrollment'.
Create FolderCreates a new folder in canvas within a specified context (e.
Create ModuleCreates a new organizational module within a specified canvas lms course, with options for availability, sequencing, and prerequisites.
Create a page for a courseCreates a new wiki page in a specified canvas course, with options for title, html body, editing permissions, publication, and designation as front page (which also requires publication).
Create QuizCreates a new quiz with various settings in a specified existing canvas course; `assignment group id` applies only to graded quiz types.
Create a quiz questionCreates a new question for an existing quiz within a course; if `answers` are provided, their structure must align with `question type`, and any `quiz group id` must be valid for an existing group in the quiz.
Delete appointment groupPermanently deletes an existing appointment group by its id; associated appointments may also be canceled or affected.
Delete an assignmentSoft-deletes a specific assignment within a course, returning the assignment object with its `workflow state` updated to 'deleted'.
Delete a folderPermanently deletes an existing folder specified by its unique id.
Delete quizPermanently deletes the quiz identified by `quiz id` from the course identified by `course id`; this action cannot be undone.
Get current gradesFetches current, aggregated grade data from canvas analytics for a specified account id.
Get term grade dataRetrieves department-level aggregated grade data for a specific academic term within a canvas account.
Edit assignmentUpdates an existing assignment in a canvas course (identified by `course id` and `assignment id`); only attributes explicitly provided in the request are modified.
Edit a quizModifies an existing canvas quiz; only attributes with provided values in the request are updated.
Export contentUse to initiate an asynchronous export of content (e.
Fetch DataFetches a specific category of canvas data (e.
Get Canvas accountsRetrieves all canvas accounts accessible to the authenticated user.
Get all assignmentsRetrieves assignments for a specified canvas course.
Get all usersRetrieves a list of users for a specified canvas `account id` (use 'self' for the current user's root account), supporting filtering, sorting, and pagination.
Get assignmentRetrieves detailed information for a specific assignment within a given course in canvas.
Get Assignment RubricFetches the detailed rubric for a specified assignment within a canvas course; fails if the assignment has no associated rubric.
Get Course ActivityRetrieves daily activity analytics, such as page views and participation events, for a specified canvas course.
Get Current UserRetrieves detailed information about the currently authenticated user from the canvas lms.
Get department-level completed statisticsRetrieves numeric statistics for all completed courses for a specified canvas account id; the account must exist.
Get department level current statisticsFetches a snapshot of current numerical statistics for a canvas account, requiring its valid id.
Get department level completed gradesRetrieves the distribution of final grades (0-100, binned to whole numbers) for all completed courses in a canvas account, where each data point represents one student's final grade in one course.
Get department level term statisticsRetrieves department-level academic term statistics (e.
Get enrollment by IDRetrieves a specific enrollment by its id within a given account.
Get gradebook history daysRetrieves a chronological list of dates with grading activity and the active graders for a specified course.
Get Page for a CourseRetrieves a specific content page (wiki or content page) by its url or numeric id from a specified canvas course.
Get quiz submissionsRetrieves all submissions for a specific quiz within a course; ensure `course id` and `quiz id` are valid and the quiz belongs to the course.
Get report statusRetrieves the status of a previously initiated report in a canvas account, specified by its type and id.
Get a single courseRetrieves detailed information for a specific canvas course using its `course id`, which must be valid, and allows for including additional data fields in the response via the `include` parameter.
Get single submissionRetrieves a specific submission for an assignment made by a particular user within a designated course.
Get submission filesRetrieves files from a student's canvas assignment submission, processing text, binary, and zip files, and providing s3 download urls if s3 integration is active and uploads are successful.
Get user assignment analyticsFetches detailed assignment-level analytics for a specific student in a designated course, including submission details and class performance statistics.
Get user course progressRetrieves the academic progress of a specific user within a given course.
Get user participation analyticsRetrieves page view activity and participation details for a specific student enrolled in a designated course.
Get User ProfileRetrieves profile information for an existing canvas user.
Grade or comment on a submissionUpdates a student's assignment submission with a grade, comment, sticker, or status change; requires `course id`, `assignment id`, `user id`, and at least one update field.
List Accounts for Course AdminsRetrieves canvas accounts visible to the current user due to their course-level administrative roles; no request parameters are needed.
List all foldersRetrieves the first page of folders for a specified canvas course id; this action is scoped to courses only.
List appointment groupsRetrieves a list of canvas appointment groups based on specified filters; any provided `context codes` must be valid and accessible by the user.
List assignment submissionsRetrieves submissions for a specific assignment within a course, optionally including related resources or grouping by student group for group assignments.
List Available ReportsLists available reports (including those that can be or have been generated) for a valid canvas account id.
List calendar events for a userRetrieves calendar events and assignments for a specific user from canvas lms, supporting extensive filtering options detailed in the request schema.
List communication messagesRetrieves communication messages from canvas.
List communication channelsRetrieves a list of communication channels associated with a specific user in canvas.
List content exportsRetrieves a paginated list of content exports from canvas for a specified, existing course.
List coursesRetrieves a list of the current user's courses from canvas, optionally filtered by enrollment type and state.
List Courses for a UserRetrieves a list of courses in canvas for a specified `user id`, requiring observer or admin permissions to view courses for others.
List Course UsersRetrieves a paginated list of users for a given canvas `course id` (which must be an existing course), supporting various filtering, sorting, and data inclusion options.
List Discussion EntriesTool to retrieve paginated discussion entries for a specific discussion topic in a course.
List Discussion TopicsRetrieves a paginated list of discussion topics or announcements for a specified course.
List FilesFetches metadata (id, name, size, type, urls) for all files within a specified canvas course.
List foldersRetrieves a list of immediate sub-folders within the specified `folder id`.
List pages for a courseRetrieves a list of wiki pages associated with a specific, existing course in canvas.
List Quizzes in CourseRetrieves a paginated list of quizzes for a specified, valid canvas course, optionally filtering by a search term in the quiz title.
List sent content sharesRetrieves content shares sent by the specified user to other users or courses within canvas.
List submissionsFetches gradebook history submissions for a specific course, assignment, grader, and date from canvas.
List submissions for multiple assignmentsRetrieves submissions from a canvas course for specified assignments and/or students; the course must be accessible.
List uncollated submission versionsRetrieves a feed of uncollated submission versions from the gradebook history for a course; any provided `assignment id` must be valid for the course, and any `user id` must be for a user enrolled in the course.
List users in accountUse this action to retrieve all users associated with a specific, existing canvas account id.
Reply to discussion entryTool to reply to a discussion entry.
Retrieve enrollment termRetrieves detailed information for a specific enrollment term within a given root account in canvas.
Start a ReportInitiates an asynchronous report generation for a canvas account, using a valid report type for the account; the response confirms initiation and may include progress tracking details.
Translate File ReferenceResolves a file's migration id to its current representation within a specific canvas course.
Update Appointment GroupUpdates an existing canvas appointment group by its id; only provided fields are modified, but `publish` defaults to `false` if omitted.
Update courseUpdates an existing course, specified by its id, with new attributes or triggers a lifecycle event like 'conclude' or 'delete'.
Update course settingsUpdates various settings for an existing course in canvas, identified by `course id`.
Update fileModifies an existing file's name or relocates it to a new parent folder; the target folder, if specified, must be valid and in the file's original context.
Update page for a courseUpdates an existing wiki page in a canvas course; if setting as front page, it must also be or be made published.
Update quiz submission scoresUpdates scores, comments for questions, and/or applies fudge points to a specific quiz submission attempt; the attempt must be completed and referenced by valid, existing course, quiz, and submission ids.
Update User SettingsUpdates a canvas user's preferences for various interface elements and content interaction behaviors.
Upload a course fileUploads a file to an accessible canvas course, optionally to a specific folder (created if a non-existent `parent folder path` is provided) and with defined behavior for duplicate filenames.
Upload submission fileUploads a submission file for an assignment in a canvas course for a specified `user id`; this user must be enrolled, the assignment open for them, and 'masquerade' permissions may be needed if `user id` isn't 'self'.

What is the Canvas MCP server, and what's possible with it?

The Canvas MCP server is an implementation of the Model Context Protocol that connects your AI agent and assistants like Claude, Cursor, etc directly to your Canvas account. It provides structured and secure access to your courses, assignments, and communications, so your agent can perform actions like creating assignments, posting announcements, sending messages, managing course events, and sharing content on your behalf.

  • Automated assignment management: Have your agent create new assignments or adjust assignment dates and overrides for students, groups, or sections in any of your courses.
  • Course communication and collaboration: Let the agent send messages, start new conversations, or post entries in discussions to keep classes engaged and informed.
  • Calendar and event scheduling: Easily instruct your agent to schedule or update course calendar events and appointment groups, including specific recurrence and blackout dates.
  • Content and notification sharing: Ask your agent to share learning materials, send content to selected users, or create global notifications for everyone in an account.
  • User channel and course creation: Enable your agent to add new communication channels for users or spin up brand new courses with custom configurations, all through secure automation.

Connecting Canvas via Tool Router

Tool Router is the underlying tech that powers Rube. It's a universal gateway that does everything Rube does but with much more programmatic control. You can programmatically generate an MCP URL with the app you need (here Canvas) for even more tool search precision. It's secure and reliable.

How the Tool Router works

The Tool Router follows a three-phase workflow:

  1. Discovery: Searches for tools matching your task and returns relevant toolkits with their details.
  2. Authentication: Checks for active connections. If missing, creates an auth config and returns a connection URL via Auth Link.
  3. Execution: Executes the action using the authenticated connection.

Step-by-step Guide

Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have:
  • Claude Pro, Max, or API billing enabled Anthropic account
  • Composio API Key
  • A Canvas account
  • Basic knowledge of Python or TypeScript

Install Claude Code

bash
# macOS, Linux, WSL
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash

# Windows PowerShell
irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex

# Windows CMD
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.cmd -o install.cmd && install.cmd && del install.cmd

To install Claude Code, use one of the following methods based on your operating system:

Set up Claude Code

bash
cd your-project-folder
claude

Open a terminal, go to your project folder, and start Claude Code:

  • Claude Code will open in your terminal
  • Follow the prompts to sign in with your Anthropic account
  • Complete the authentication flow
  • Once authenticated, you can start using Claude Code
Claude Code initial setup showing sign-in prompt
Claude Code terminal after successful login

Set up environment variables

bash
COMPOSIO_API_KEY=your_composio_api_key_here
USER_ID=your_user_id_here

Create a .env file in your project root with the following variables:

  • COMPOSIO_API_KEY authenticates with Composio (get it from Composio dashboard)
  • USER_ID identifies the user for session management (use any unique identifier)

Install Composio library

pip install composio-core python-dotenv

Install the Composio Python library to create MCP sessions.

  • composio-core provides the core Composio functionality
  • python-dotenv loads environment variables from your .env file

Generate Composio MCP URL

import os
from composio import Composio
from dotenv import load_dotenv

load_dotenv()

COMPOSIO_API_KEY = os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
USER_ID = os.getenv("USER_ID")

composio_client = Composio(api_key=COMPOSIO_API_KEY)

composio_session = composio_client.create(
    user_id=USER_ID,
    toolkits=["canvas"],
)

COMPOSIO_MCP_URL = composio_session.mcp.url

print(f"MCP URL: {COMPOSIO_MCP_URL}")
print(f"\nUse this command to add to Claude Code:")
print(f'claude mcp add --transport http canvas-composio "{COMPOSIO_MCP_URL}" --headers "X-API-Key:{COMPOSIO_API_KEY}"')

Create a script to generate a Composio MCP URL for Canvas. This URL will be used to connect Claude Code to Canvas.

What's happening:
  • We import the Composio client and load environment variables
  • Create a Composio instance with your API key
  • Call create() to create a Tool Router session for Canvas
  • The returned mcp.url is the MCP server URL that Claude Code will use
  • The script prints this URL so you can copy it

Run the script and copy the MCP URL

python generate_mcp_url.py

Run your Python script to generate the MCP URL.

  • The script connects to Composio and creates a Tool Router session
  • It prints the MCP URL and the exact command you need to run
  • Copy the entire claude mcp add command from the output

Add Canvas MCP to Claude Code

bash
claude mcp add --transport http canvas-composio "YOUR_MCP_URL_HERE" --headers "X-API-Key:YOUR_COMPOSIO_API_KEY"

# Then restart Claude Code
exit
claude

In your terminal, add the MCP server using the command from the previous step. The command format is:

  • claude mcp add registers a new MCP server with Claude Code
  • --transport http specifies that this is an HTTP-based MCP server
  • The server name (canvas-composio) is how you'll reference it
  • The URL points to your Composio Tool Router session
  • --headers includes your Composio API key for authentication

After running the command, close the current Claude Code session and start a new one for the changes to take effect.

Verify the installation

bash
claude mcp list

Check that your Canvas MCP server is properly configured.

  • This command lists all MCP servers registered with Claude Code
  • You should see your canvas-composio entry in the list
  • This confirms that Claude Code can now access Canvas tools

If everything is wired up, you should see your canvas-composio entry listed:

Claude Code MCP list showing the toolkit MCP server

Authenticate Canvas

The first time you try to use Canvas tools, you'll be prompted to authenticate.

  • Claude Code will detect that you need to authenticate with Canvas
  • It will show you an authentication link
  • Open the link in your browser (or copy/paste it)
  • Complete the Canvas authorization flow
  • Return to the terminal and start using Canvas through Claude Code

Once authenticated, you can ask Claude Code to perform Canvas operations in natural language. For example:

  • "Create a new assignment for my math course"
  • "Send a message to all students in Biology 101"
  • "Schedule office hours as a calendar event"

Complete Code

Here's the complete code to get you started with Canvas and Claude Code:

import os
from composio import Composio
from dotenv import load_dotenv

load_dotenv()

COMPOSIO_API_KEY = os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
USER_ID = os.getenv("USER_ID")

composio_client = Composio(api_key=COMPOSIO_API_KEY)

composio_session = composio_client.create(
    user_id=USER_ID,
    toolkits=["canvas"],
)

COMPOSIO_MCP_URL = composio_session.mcp.url

print(f"MCP URL: {COMPOSIO_MCP_URL}")
print(f"\nUse this command to add to Claude Code:")
print(f'claude mcp add --transport http canvas-composio "{COMPOSIO_MCP_URL}" --headers "X-API-Key:{COMPOSIO_API_KEY}"')

Conclusion

You've successfully integrated Canvas with Claude Code using Composio's MCP server. Now you can interact with Canvas directly from your terminal using natural language commands.

Key features of this setup:

  • Terminal-native experience without switching contexts
  • Natural language commands for Canvas operations
  • Secure authentication through Composio's managed MCP
  • Tool Router for dynamic tool discovery and execution

Next steps:

  • Try asking Claude Code to perform various Canvas operations
  • Add more toolkits to your Tool Router session for multi-app workflows
  • Integrate this setup into your development workflow for increased productivity

You can extend this by adding more toolkits, implementing custom workflows, or building automation scripts that leverage Claude Code's capabilities.

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FAQ

What are the differences in Tool Router MCP and Canvas MCP?

With a standalone Canvas MCP server, the agents and LLMs can only access a fixed set of Canvas tools tied to that server. However, with the Composio Tool Router, agents can dynamically load tools from Canvas and many other apps based on the task at hand, all through a single MCP endpoint.

Can I use Tool Router MCP with Claude Code?

Yes, you can. Claude Code fully supports MCP integration. You get structured tool calling, message history handling, and model orchestration while Tool Router takes care of discovering and serving the right Canvas tools.

Can I manage the permissions and scopes for Canvas while using Tool Router?

Yes, absolutely. You can configure which Canvas scopes and actions are allowed when connecting your account to Composio. You can also bring your own OAuth credentials or API configuration so you keep full control over what the agent can do.

How safe is my data with Composio Tool Router?

All sensitive data such as tokens, keys, and configuration is fully encrypted at rest and in transit. Composio is SOC 2 Type 2 compliant and follows strict security practices so your Canvas data and credentials are handled as safely as possible.

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